The following discussion of the background to the invention is intended to facilitate an understanding of the invention. However, it should be appreciated that the discussion is not an acknowledgement or admission that any of the material referred to was published, known or part of the common general knowledge as at the priority date of the application.
A number of safety barricade systems have been recently proposed which use connectors, such as clevis type clips and/or clamps, to fix mesh panel barriers over and around gaps between support poles and railings around elevated walkways and platforms, scaffolding, and around industrial machinery. One example is described in the Applicant's international patent application PCT/AU2011/001165.
Mesh panels in these safety barricade systems need to be joined at various angles to complement the angles on the mounting structures that the system is to be attached. In existing systems, individual mesh panels are interconnected using a purpose built joiner assembly. Existing joiner assemblies generally comprise a series of connecting strips which include two parallel aligned side channels configured to receive the respective ends of adjacent mesh panels. The connecting strips are manufactured as unitary bodies set at a fixed angle between the side channels. These joiner assemblies necessitate a number of different connecting strip configurations to be manufactured for any safety barricade or guarding installation in order to accommodate the variety of angles (for example, 30, 45, 60, 90 etc.) required to complement the angles on the mounting structures that the barrier system is to be attached.
It would therefore be desirable to provide an improved and/or alternative panel interconnection arrangement for a barricade, and/or guarding system.